Chapter 6: One More Person, One More Attachment

Su Miaomiao quietly returned to her room the same way she had left. After taking a quick shower in the bathroom, she suddenly heard soft rustling noises coming from downstairs.

She immediately sped up, got dressed quickly, and rushed out of the room.

The moment she stepped out, she saw Tang Chunlan walking toward her.

“Miaomiao, did we wake you?” Tang Chunlan looked exhausted, dark circles under her eyes—clearly, she hadn’t slept at all the night before.

“Mom, Captain Liu and his men are here,” Huo Zhenbo said as he came up the stairs.

“I understand,” Tang Chunlan nodded.

Huo Zhenbo turned back downstairs to pacify Captain Liu, hoping to buy more time for his mother and younger sister.

“Miaomiao, pack up your things. We’ll go down together,” Tang Chunlan said gently.

“Okay,” Su Miaomiao nodded.

---

Just as Su Miaomiao had expected, after the Huo family finished packing, Captain Liu and his team thoroughly searched every piece of luggage.

Anything valuable—or anything they simply liked—they claimed was “evidence related to a case” and said it needed to be taken into custody.

The Huo family knew they were being robbed in plain sight, but they were powerless to resist. All they could do was clench their fists, grit their teeth, and watch their carefully packed belongings get ransacked and tossed around.

They were especially worried that the gifts they’d given Su Miaomiao would also be taken. Everyone kept glancing at her bundle.

But when they saw it only contained a few old clothes that had belonged to Huo Lingxiu, their expressions shifted slightly—then quickly relaxed again.

Once Captain Liu was sure there was nothing more valuable to take, he finally escorted them to the train station.

Everyone received their respective tickets.

“Old Master Huo, I wish your whole family a safe journey,” Captain Liu said with a wide smile.

Old Master Huo merely gripped his cane tightly and, without a word, turned to be helped onto the train by his family.

Su Miaomiao and Uncle Huo’s family were on the same train, while the others were assigned to different ones.

The family could only say goodbye in the station lobby. Everyone’s eyes were red.

Su Miaomiao stood at the back, her expression calm.

This was exactly why she preferred being alone.
The more attachments you had, the more burdens you carried.

With attachments, your hand wavered when holding a knife.
And the chances of surviving diminished.

In her past life, she had been alone until death.
In this life, however, she had unwillingly formed many bonds.

Just as she was lost in thought, a clear, confident voice sounded above her head.

“Little sister, don’t worry! No matter where we go, we’ll take good care of you!”

Su Miaomiao looked up and saw two identical, handsome faces—so startled she almost threw a punch on instinct.

“Little sister, you don’t know us yet. I’m your second brother—Huo Minxue,” the softer-spoken one said gently.

“Little sister, I’m your third brother—Huo Xinyuan! From now on, I’ve got your back!” the other said loudly, patting his chest like he was taking an oath.

The three Huo brothers really had very different personalities:
The eldest was steady, the second gentle, the third outgoing.

Su Miaomiao could imagine how pampered Huo Lingxiu must’ve been in the past.

“Don’t scare your sister. She just got here,” Huo Zhenbo scolded, thinking Su Miaomiao was overwhelmed by their enthusiasm since she hadn’t said a word.

“I just wanted to say hi to my sister,” Huo Xinyuan scratched his head, a little embarrassed.

Huo Zhenbo’s gaze once again fell heavily on Su Miaomiao, his eyes full of guilt.

This younger sister of his had never enjoyed a single day of comfort in the Huo family, yet she now had to suffer hardship alongside them.

And yet, unlike Huo Lingxiu, she hadn’t thrown any hysterical tantrums, hadn’t cursed or resented them. In fact, she had been obedient and quiet the whole time.

A sister like this truly made his heart ache.

She was so young, so frail—she probably didn’t even realize what kind of bitter days awaited her.

But he swore on his life: he would never let his sister suffer, not even a little.

Huo Minxue and Huo Xinyuan looked at their eldest brother’s expression and silently made the same vow:

They would protect their little sister no matter what.

---

No matter how reluctant they were to part, the time eventually came.

The family said their tearful goodbyes and boarded their respective trains.

At the time, only green-skin (old, basic) trains were available—slow and extremely crowded.

The journey to Mo City would take two days and one night, and their tickets were all for hard seats.

That was fine for the younger folks, but the two elders would have a much tougher time.

Old Master Huo had once been an undefeated general on the battlefield. Even though he had retired for many years, he still carried a natural authority that demanded respect.

But when his gaze fell on Su Miaomiao, it instantly softened.

“So, your name is Miaomiao, right? Sorry you have to suffer with us.”

Su Miaomiao had already heard plenty of apologies since yesterday. She practically had muscle memory by now and smoothly replied:

“It’s okay.”

“Good child,” Old Master Huo said, looking at his little granddaughter with satisfaction.

After enduring such drastic changes, this girl still remained calm and composed. His third son had even said she’d managed to get the better of Huo Lingxiu with just a few words yesterday—making her so angry she nearly exploded. That made Old Master Huo admire her even more.

Family is family, after all. Even without growing up together, the genes ran true.

But the moment he thought of Huo Lingxiu, Old Master Huo felt another sharp pain in his chest.

The Huo family had always had more sons than daughters. After his youngest daughter married and moved to Haishi, the only granddaughter they had was Huo Lingxiu.

He had treated her like a precious gem since she was little. Even though she wasn’t as smart and sharp as the other Huo boys, he had given her the most love.

And in the end, the one who hurt them most deeply—was her.

He had seen through countless people in his lifetime and always believed he had good judgment. But he hadn’t expected to be so wrong about one of his own.

Just thinking about it made his head spin again. He closed his eyes and leaned back to rest.

Su Miaomiao, seeing his condition, didn’t disturb him any further.

Beside her, Huo Zhenbo whispered, “Grandpa always doted on Huo Lingxiu. He’s probably thinking about her and feeling sad again.”

Su Miaomiao nodded.

---

The two-day, one-night journey on the train was grueling—even Su Miaomiao’s tailbone ached from sitting so long.

After all, this body wasn’t like the one in her previous life—it hadn’t gone through years of harsh training.

Butcher Su had spoiled her terribly. While he was alive, he never let her do any kind of hard labor.

She couldn’t keep indulging herself like that anymore.

Su Miaomiao made a mental note: once they arrived at their assigned location, she’d resume her physical training.

The train did have food for sale, but it was expensive.
The Huo family, already struggling financially, could only make do with the cold pancakes they had brought from home.

The first day was bearable, but by the second day, the pancakes were so hard and dry that it took several chews just to get one bite down.

In the end, they had to chug water to force it down.

Su Miaomiao’s throat was sore from the rough food.

She did have plenty of good food stored in her space, but under the current circumstances, it wasn’t safe to take any of it out.

So she could only tough it out like the rest, gnawing on cold, dry pancakes.